1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to systems and methods for interactive instruction and, in particular, to systems and methods for instructing students in music score reading and instrument playing.
2. Description of Related Art
Generally speaking, modern music notation originated in European classical music and is now used by musicians of many different genres throughout the world. The system uses a five-line staff. Pitch is shown by placement of notes on the staff (sometimes modified by accidentals), and duration is shown with different note values and additional symbols such as dots and ties. Notation is read from left to right, which makes setting music for right-to-left scripts difficult.
A staff of written music generally begins with a clef, which indicates the particular range of pitches encompassed by the staff. Notes representing a pitch outside of the scope of the five line staff can be represented using ledger lines, which provide a single note with additional lines and spaces. Following the clef, the key signature on a staff indicates the key of the piece by specifying certain notes to be flat or sharp throughout the piece, unless otherwise indicated. Following the key signature is the time signature. Measures (bars) divide the piece into groups of beats, and the time signatures specify those groupings.
Directions to the player regarding matters such as tempo and dynamics are added above or below the staff. For vocal music, lyrics are written. For short pauses (e.g., breaths), retakes presented as a hyphen (-) are added. In music for ensembles, a musical “score” shows music for all players together, while “parts” contain only the music played by an individual musician. A score can be constructed from a complete set of parts and vice versa. The process can be laborious but computer software offers a more convenient and flexible method.
The emergence of Gregorian Chant notation in the tenth century, followed by refinements of it by Guido d'Arezzo during the next century, has evolved into what is now considered “standard musical notation.” It has remained the standard for more than a thousand years now. While there have been a number of proposed improvements and/or new musical notations, the standard continues to remain relatively unchanged.
As many can attest, learning to read standard musical notation brings with it many challenges, thereby inhibiting many students from trying and/or succeeding in the reading of musical notation. Current instructional approaches are cumbersome, complicated, and difficult to disseminate to “beginners” in a clear, concise manner. Accordingly, the inventor has discovered that a fast and easy way to read musical notation is needed.
As described in commonly owned, U.S. Pat. No. 7,005,569, issued Feb. 28, 2006, entitled “Method for Imparting Music Score Reading and Keyboard Performance Skills,” a method for reading music and playing a keyboard instrument has been developed by the inventor. It is well-known that the benefits of learning to read music and playing an instrument include, for example, increasing spatial reasoning and spatial intelligence, encouraging a sense of discipline, assisting in scientific and mathematical understanding, improving performance in school, and increasing certain aptitude test scores in students who have had experience studying an instrument. Accordingly, the inventor has continued to build on the patented method and, as described herein, has developed a one-session, interactive instructional system and method that provides the aforementioned desired fast and easy way to teach students to read musical notation and play an instrument.